TOUGH STRETCH: Wednesday night begins a physically challenging stretch for the Seattle University men's basketball team, playing four games in five days beginning with a home contest against Oregon State. The game will be televised live on FSN Northwest with Tom Glasgow, Francis Williams, and Jen Mueller serving as the broadcast crew. On radio, Dave Grosby and Gary Hill, Jr., will be live from courtside calling the action on 710 ESPN Seattle. Seattle U is looking for its first victory of the season, but Oregon State certainly remembers what happened in Corvallis last season and is hoping for a little payback this time in Seattle.
THE CAL POLY GAME: Despite returning to the friendly confines of KeyArena at Seattle Center after a week of traveling, Seattle University could not get its offense going, as the Cal Poly Mustangs did enough defensively to earn a 76-60 victory Sunday evening. Sterling Carter led the team in scoring for the second straight game, hitting four three-pointers on his way to a 24-point performance, plus he blocked a season-high three shots. Aaron Broussard notched his second double-double of the season with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while Mark McLaughlin also scored 10 points plus pulled down seven rebounds and Alex Jones contributed 10 points of his own. Down by seven late in the first half, Carter cut the deficit to four with a three-pointer with 38 seconds left in the half. The Redhawks continued the comeback after halftime, coming within one on a Broussard offensive rebound and putback, but the Mustangs pulled back out to a comfortable lead thanks to Will Donahue, who scored eight straight Cal Poly points. With 11:05 remaining in regulation, Cervante Burrell put the Redhawks on top for the first time in the game with two free throws. Two Donahue free throws allowed Cal Poly to regain the lead, with back-to-back three-pointers by David Hanson and Jamal Johnson extending the Mustang advantage back to seven at 52-45. For the game, Seattle University shot just 27.1 percent (16-of-59) from the field, including 5-of-22 from behind the three-point line, and committed 24 turnovers. The Redhawks did better from the free throw line than in the USF game, hitting 79.3 percent (23-of-29) of their attempts from the charity stripe.
SCOUTING OREGON STATE: The Beavers enter the game with a 1-0 record after defeating Texas-Arlington Sunday in Corvallis, 71-56. Omari Johnson led the way with 15 points, while Ahmad Starks scored 14 points in his collegiate debut. Lathen Wallace contributed 12 points and Angus Brandt added 10 points and six rebounds off the bench for the Beavers. Last season Oregon State posted a 14-18 overall record, including an 8-10 record in the Pac-10 that put the Beavers in a tie for fifth place in the final league standings. Eight letterwinners, including two starters, are back from the 2009-10 squad. Calvin Haynes was the team's leading scorer last season, averaging 12.5 points per game.
SEATTLE U VS. OREGON STATE: This is the 21st meeting all-time between Seattle University and Oregon State, with the Beavers holding a 15-5 series edge. These two teams first met during the 1954-55 season , with Oregon State winning both the regular season meeting (64-59) and the meeting in the NCAA Tournament (83-71). Oregon State defeated Elgin Baylor's 1957-58 squad during the regular season, 63-55, as well as 1960-61 meetings in Corvallis (67-53) and Portland (73-65) and a double-overtime contest in 1961-62 (82-73). In the school's first-ever matchup in Seattle, Seattle U earned its first victory in the series, 74-73, but Oregon State won the rubber game of the season in the NCAA Tournament, 69-65 in overtime. The two teams again split the regular season series in 1962-63, each winning on their home floor, before Oregon State again eliminated Seattle U from the NCAA Tournament with a 70-66 victory. After losing both games to Oregon State during the 1963-64 regular season, Seattle U won in the NCAA Tournament, 61-57. The two teams did not meet again until the 1975-76 season, with Oregon State winning in Corvallis, 91-79. Seattle U earned a 55-51 victory in 1976-77 at the Seattle Coliseum, with Oregon State winning in Portland in 1978-79, 83-74. In 2002-03, Oregon State defeated Seattle U, 81-38, followed by a 59-50 victory in 2008-09. Last season, the Redhawks posted a 99-48 victory over the Beavers in Corvallis. Mike Boxley led the way with 19 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field, including four three-pointers, along with four rebounds, two assists, and three steals. Chris Gweth finished with 18 points, four rebounds, and four assists, while Cervante Burrell contributed 17 points, five rebounds, and five assists. Aaron Broussard played a solid game, finishing with 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds, and Alex Jones made a significant contribution off the bench with nine points and seven rebounds. As a team, Seattle University shot 58.3 percent (35-of-60) from the field, including 57.1 percent (12-of-21) from the three-point line, and 73.9 percent (17-of-23) from the free throw line.